Pages in this set

Page 1

Dorian Gray Revision

Major Characters
Dorian Gray
Vain
o `once in boyish mockery of narcissus, he had kissed, or feigned to kiss, those painted
lips'
o `He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty.'
`I am what I am'- blasphemous, biblical allusion to the words of God. Similar…

Page 2

Although Lord Henry is a self-proclaimed hedonist who advocates the equal pursuit of both
moral and immoral experience, he lives a rather staid life. He participates in polite London
society and attends parties and the theatre, but he does not indulge in sordid behaviour.
His claim that Dorian could never…

Page 3

She describes herself as `only his wife'- belittling herself or is she self-aware/acknowledging
social norms regarding her status?
She had `a perfect mania for going to church'
She `tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy'
Wagner's music is `so loud that one can talk the whole time…

Page 4

Basil Hallward is the voice of morality within the novel
o `But surely, if one lives merely for one's self, harry, one pays a terrible price for
doing so?... I should fancy in remorse, in suffering, in... well, in the consciousness of
degradation.'
`Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the…

Page 5

`A cigarette is the perfect type of perfect pleasure. It is exquisite and it leaves one
unsatisfied.' ­ metaphor for life, always wanting more pleasure
`a fine instinct for beauty was to be the dominant characteristic' of Dorian's new `spirituality'
`search for sensations that would be at once new and…

Page 6

o `We must look out for a suitable match for him. I shall go through Debrett'- like a
catalogue of the British aristocracy.
o `a man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her'- Lord Henry
Class
o Dorian deliberately uses the French word…

Page 7

When The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in Lippincott's Monthly
Magazine in 1890, it was decried as immoral. In revising the text the following year, Wilde
included a preface, which serves as a useful explanation of his philosophy of art. The purpose
of art, according to this series…

Page 8

19th century movement which valued the aesthetic qualities of art, literature etc rather than
its socio-political themes
Fin de siècle
French for `end of the century'.
Used to describe the degeneration and hope that are brought about by the turn of a century.
Used particularly for the decadence of the…

Page 9

Sybil is Dorian's exact working-class counterpart. Youth and beauty are simultaneously assets
she markets and qualities she must struggle to preserve in order to continue working.
The aristocratic world is unaffected by the destruction of those who support it- Dorian Gray
continues his life following the deaths of Basil and…

Page 10

Dorian persuades Basil to allow LORD HENRY to stay while he sits for his portrait
Lord Henry influences Dorian- sets up the whole novel
o `If one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every
feeling, expression to every though, reality to…

Pages in this set

Page 1

Dorian Gray Revision

Major Characters
Dorian Gray
Vain
o `once in boyish mockery of narcissus, he had kissed, or feigned to kiss, those painted
lips'
o `He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty.'
`I am what I am'- blasphemous, biblical allusion to the words of God. Similar…

Page 2

Although Lord Henry is a self-proclaimed hedonist who advocates the equal pursuit of both
moral and immoral experience, he lives a rather staid life. He participates in polite London
society and attends parties and the theatre, but he does not indulge in sordid behaviour.
His claim that Dorian could never…

Page 3

She describes herself as `only his wife'- belittling herself or is she self-aware/acknowledging
social norms regarding her status?
She had `a perfect mania for going to church'
She `tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy'
Wagner's music is `so loud that one can talk the whole time…

Page 4

Basil Hallward is the voice of morality within the novel
o `But surely, if one lives merely for one's self, harry, one pays a terrible price for
doing so?... I should fancy in remorse, in suffering, in... well, in the consciousness of
degradation.'
`Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the…

Page 5

`A cigarette is the perfect type of perfect pleasure. It is exquisite and it leaves one
unsatisfied.' ­ metaphor for life, always wanting more pleasure
`a fine instinct for beauty was to be the dominant characteristic' of Dorian's new `spirituality'
`search for sensations that would be at once new and…

Page 6

o `We must look out for a suitable match for him. I shall go through Debrett'- like a
catalogue of the British aristocracy.
o `a man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her'- Lord Henry
Class
o Dorian deliberately uses the French word…

Page 7

When The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in Lippincott's Monthly
Magazine in 1890, it was decried as immoral. In revising the text the following year, Wilde
included a preface, which serves as a useful explanation of his philosophy of art. The purpose
of art, according to this series…

Page 8

19th century movement which valued the aesthetic qualities of art, literature etc rather than
its socio-political themes
Fin de siècle
French for `end of the century'.
Used to describe the degeneration and hope that are brought about by the turn of a century.
Used particularly for the decadence of the…

Page 9

Sybil is Dorian's exact working-class counterpart. Youth and beauty are simultaneously assets
she markets and qualities she must struggle to preserve in order to continue working.
The aristocratic world is unaffected by the destruction of those who support it- Dorian Gray
continues his life following the deaths of Basil and…

Page 10

Dorian persuades Basil to allow LORD HENRY to stay while he sits for his portrait
Lord Henry influences Dorian- sets up the whole novel
o `If one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every
feeling, expression to every though, reality to…